Teenagers
by theallwymonster
Summary: Renaissance potions, a meddling cousin, a reluctant partner and a skunk on the loose. Just an average month in Hogwarts after the war.
1. part one

**A/N:** This little ficlet was written for the Interhouse Fest 2014. I have since changed a thing or two about this fic. It is, obviously, complete. There are three chapters. Please leave a review; it would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

 **Author:** **theallwymonster**  
 **Characters:** Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood and OC.  
 **Prompt Number:** #165  
 **Word Count:** 16277  
 **Rating: M**  
 **Warnings:** Implicit Sexual Situations, Mild Profanity, and Mild Violence. Slight OOCness from some characters.  
 **Summary:** Renaissance potions, a meddling cousin, a reluctant partner and a skunk on the loose. Just an average month in Hogwarts after the war.  
 **Disclaimer:** I do no own Harry Potter or Spongebob Squarepants.  
 **Author's Notes** Thanks to my beta for making this fic a presentable one. The prompt had given me a chance if I want to make it fluffy, angsty or funny, so I decided to do a little bit of all three! I mixed in a few clichés and a few more of my own twists (like magical buildings that can rebuild itself). By far, this is the most I've written as a fanfic writer. It was fun.

~.~

 **(i)**

 _He thought about what would happen if he had stopped the man; if he had been quick enough to realise what he was going to do. Lucius Malfoy might be a bigoted bastard for anyone else, and even though he had unusual ways to show it, he always had a soft spot for his family. Despite the rumours and stares, he had always been a sensitive person when it comes to his loved ones. Never had Draco been beaten physically, pushed around repeatedly; as anyone would guess. It was true that his father was the one who had convinced him into thinking Muggleborns are inferior to the wizarding world, but other than a misguided point of view; he wasn't a too bad father._

 _He missed him. Out in public, Lucius remained as cold as ever, but when he was alone with his family; his demeanour changed significantly. While he was not exactly the most playful father, there are moments that he would challenge him to a friendly duel, a game of wizard's chess; or even a fly on their brooms by the gardens. The only time that Lucius had ever hit Draco was when he found out that he was falling behind a student; a mudblood nevertheless. The scars he got from the hexes were uncountable, but at that time; he didn't resent his father. He couldn't do so because, in his mind, he deserved it._

 _It changed over the years, though. The moment when his father was thrown into Azkaban, he grew resentful not towards Harry-fucking-Potter, but to the goddamned son-of-a-bitch that started the whole thing in the first place. His perspective had changed considerably, leaving him to think that the Dark Lord's chauvinistic ways were all for the gutter. Nothing good can ever come to his part anyway, what with his father being in prison and all that; so why should he even bother?_

 _So he stopped. He ended the taunts he sent at the Golden Trio, making them (especially the bespectacled dickhead) to be suspicious of him. He knew that their qualms about him should get him to feel offended because he wasn't doing anything wrong, but he couldn't find the strength to do so._

 _The truth was, the moment she had said it, he agreed with Granger wholeheartedly. He was tired._

 _But then Christmas Break arrives, where he was pushed by his deranged aunt to join the band of narcissistic supremacists. Choices were given, of course, but even then he knew that he couldn't do it. There was no other way to refuse unless he wanted his mother to die._

 _So, with the skull and snake branded on his left arm, he was given a mission. A near to impossible task. How he had managed to do it, he would never know._

 _Now, with the tattoo still on his arm, he started to regret his decisions of the past. He dwelled about how he could change it if he could stop himself from sending Dumbledore to his death if he could push his father away from harm's way._

 _His thoughts were interrupted off when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist._

" _Why aren't you asleep?"_

 _Draco tilted his lips amusedly. Even when she sounded sleepy, she was still as inquisitive as ever._

" _I couldn't. I thought I should clear my mind for a bit."_

" _Well, I think you should sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow morning."_

 _He raised one of her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. "It's okay; I'll pull through."_

 _She didn't reply. Instead, she caressed his stomach with her hands with her chin on his shoulder. It was strangely comforting, if not slightly ticklish, but Draco Malfoy was never one to be squeamish before._

 _Well, that was before he had the chance to know her._

" _You know," she said, as if reading his mind, "I know what you're doing."_

" _What?"_

" _You're thinking too much again."_

" _This coming from a woman who overanalyses the properties of unicorn blood even though there's a book entirely dedicated to it?"_

" _Haha, funny."_

" _I know. Used to do stand-up on the weekends."_

" _You know what I'm talking about."_

 _He sniggered. "Sorry. It's fun to rile you up."_

" _I've noticed."_

 _His smile dropped to a frown; his hands traced hers that wrapped around his front. "Granger?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _What are we doing?"_

" _I believe this is called hugging."_

" _You know that's not what I meant."_

 _He could feel her stiffen behind him. "I wished I know myself."_

" _Do you regret it, though?"_

 _Her answer surprised him a little. "No, I don't."_

 _He turned around in her arms and kissed her. When they pulled away, she looked at him in confusion. "Why did you do that?"_

" _Just."_

" _Just, what?"_

" _Nothing."_

 _He pressed his lips to hers again, albeit a little briefer than the first one. Wrapping a long arm around her waist, he dragged her away from the window of where he stood._

" _Let's go to sleep."_

 _It was true that he wished the possibilities of him going back in time, trying to fix the things that should have been solved. But by doing so, he wouldn't have met solace in this beautiful girl. It might make him look like a bad son, but even though there was a high price to pay; he would change nothing if he were going to be finally happy._

~.~

"Please, let me in Hermione."

He didn't get an answer, so he waited. The pause lasted for a few minutes, but he was relentless. He sat down by Hermione's bedroom door, with his ankle crossed over the other; still waiting for her reply or something from her that could indicate she was at least still alive.

An hour passed. Had it been long? The only thing he met was the heavy silence, and he could hear nothing but her sobs.

He gave up. If she was going to be stubborn, then so was he.

He stood up, and made his mind to walk away, but not before opening up his mouth to say something. He was always the type to have the last word, even with someone as garrulous as Hermione, but the moment he thought of the words he wished to say, he changed his mind.

Things were bad as they were.

So he left the door, without a single glance backwards. He failed to notice the soft whimper from the other side, or the teary gaze of his love; staring at his back after she quietly opened the door, hoping to let him in.

She was too late.

~.~

Audrey Winslow was not a happy girl.

After the second wizarding war had ended a good eight months ago in this castle, her family moved from her cosy home in Salem to be in one of the coldest countries in the world (that last bit could be exaggerated on her part, she must admit). It irked her she had to be so far away from her friends and family, but while no matter how much she hated getting homesick, she knew it had its moments of ups and downs.

With that being said, she was content with being a nobody. A fly on the wall.

After the Battle, Hogwarts was nearly a pile of rubble. Explosions almost demolished the once magnificent castle and took away many lives that night. Many lost hope on the state of the school, but it was all for nought. Everyone had gone home, celebrating their victory with their love ones, and mourned for the ones they had lost. When they came back in the efforts of restoring the castle back to its former glory, they had a shock of their lives.

Standing in the light of the rising sun, was the castle itself; unscathed. It was as if by magic, the place rebuilt itself. It was as if by magic, nothing was left broken or damaged. It was as if by magic, every spot of debris and dirt was cleaned up.

The castle groaned in a prideful way as every person that was present walked in the entrance. The front yard was blooming with flowers, welcoming the bouts of spring, rendering others in awe.

What didn't kill the castle; only made it stronger.

It gave them hope because, in a way, it was the castle's way of giving them something to hold onto.

It was in one word; magical.

Audrey was not an exception. She was amazed by the stories that were told by her parents, even more so when she witnessed the castle's beauty on her own. She felt safe and content, but even then she still felt slight anxiety at the back of her mind. Like she didn't belong there.

As what was said before, she would rather be a fly on the wall.

But, as of today, she was angry. If such emotion were present, she would be anything but invisible. She would make herself known. She could throw tantrums for all she cared, and nobody would stand in her way. The anger was not directed to the place itself, though, but rather to her stupid, narcissistic, too-prideful cousin, Draco Malfoy.

No one ever knew that Draco Malfoy had a cousin other than Tonks (and even then, most didn't know about the latter until the battle ended). During the first time she stepped foot into the Great Hall to be sorted (it was embarrassing, being the only sixteen-year-old among the new students) everybody instantly knew, without a single doubt that she had to be somehow in any way; related to the Malfoy heir.

She had the same features; platinum blonde hair, blue-grey eyes, and the infamous aristocratic curve of her nose. The tall stature of a Black, the elegance of a Malfoy; but it was by no means that she was one of them.

No, she was just so happened to look like them.

After being sorted into Slytherin (no surprises there) she met Draco, who met her eyes with a curious glint. He owled his mum, and as a reply, he received a map of the family tree, complete with the names of the ones who were disowned. She was a third cousin once removed, and after telling her that, they had become close. Even though Draco had been busy with his duty as the Head Boy, and her studies occupied her for O. W. L., they still manage to find time to have fun together.

If they are together, one would say that they are twins.

Now, her idiot of a cousin was currently pacing the floor because of something stupid he had said to his girlfriend.

If she was, to be honest, it wasn't an odd occurrence. He was a moron all the time.

"So, now what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? You gotta fix this mess!"

"You think I don't know that? _I_ was the one who got kicked out of her room."

"What's wrong with that? It's her room!"

"It means that she won't talk to me; that she wouldn't listen to me."

"Did you try to convince her otherwise? Knock on the door, scream her fucking name-"

"If I didn't try, I wouldn't be here right now. My god, for a girl, you're not an insightful one, are you?"

"Well, if it were up to me, I would've hexed your ass 'till it's burning or something."

"That is what she normally does, but for some reason, she didn't."

"What do you mean?"

Draco hesitated. "It means that I fucked up because I said something that I shouldn't have. I promised that I wouldn't, because I'm better than that right now, but I did. So, I am royally fucked, and I don't know what to do."

He stood up, taking Audrey slightly aback. She thought the reason why he came here was that he wanted her to help him, but it seemed like he was making his way towards the brick wall that concealed the exit.

"Where are you going?"

"Hogsmeade."

"But it's late-"

"The perks of being the Head Boy."

And he was gone.

~.~

It was the end of the week, and he was still wallowing in self-pity.

Audrey kept an eye on him whenever she had the chance, and noted that he looked even worse than the week before. His face looked tired with dark circles under his eyes, there was a permanent scowl on his mouth, and he looked as if he hadn't been shaving in a month. He looked older than his eighteen-year-old self.

He glanced at his now ex-girlfriend's table across the room, his face is stoic, but even from where Audrey is, she could see the longing in his eyes. She was laughing at something Potter had said, and it made him glare at the Boy Wonder with envy. Hermione looked up, after noticing someone is staring at her, but once she caught his eyes, she immediately looked away, as if he was nothing but a part of the wall behind him.

Audrey knew she had to put an end to this. Frankly, this was getting annoying by the minute. The Valentine's Ball was coming in a week, and she needed to help them as much as she can if they were going to stay like this. Desperate times came in desperate measures, and she was going to do something new; something that she hadn't done in a long time, but if it was for the sake of her cousin and his pathetic love life, then so be it.

She was going to the library.

As she stood up, someone rose from their seat and followed her, maintaining a distance between them by a good couple of metres.

~.~

"Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione looked up from her plate, to see the concerning eyes of her best friend, Harry Potter. The boy had done so much to ensure the world to be a safe place once again, but no matter how much she appreciated him, she still wished that he would stop his prodding and leave her alone.

It was both unusual and annoying that he was so perceptive when it came to others.

"Yes, I'm all right."

Harry's sceptical look remained. "Really? You haven't touched your food, you know."

She sighed. "Can you leave me alone? I'm sorry, but I need time for myself."

"Is this because of Draco?"

Hermione flinched when Harry mentioned him. "Harry-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, that was out of line."

She took a deep breath, and said, "I know you mean well, Harry; but I don't want to talk about him. Not now, not even ever, I hope."

Harry's face twisted itself in disbelief; this was not his best friend he had known to love. His best friend used to be feisty, level-headed; she would never back down without a fight. Despite some hesitance from the others, she always managed to prove to anyone else that she was a strong woman, always finding solutions for a problem that needed to be solved. Right now, though, she reminded him of someone who was weak, and helpless; almost to the point of giving up.

"I don't understand it. Why are you beating yourself up because of a stupid fight?"

Hermione snapped her head at him and glared; her eyes were flashing with anger. As much as he knew he was out of line, at least he gauged a bit of a reaction from her.

"Excuse me? You heard what I told you, he-"

"He said something that was practically verging myself to hex him to bits, but did you try to let him explain?"

Hermione bristled uncomfortably.

"So you didn't."

"Why should he explain? He had made himself pretty clear by practically screaming it out at my face." Hermione closed

Harry pursed his lips. "Okay, I'm going to say something that might bruise my ego slightly, and probably billions of other men. We are clueless. Yes, it's true. Do you think we understand about all of this coupling shit? Half of my relationship was non-existent because I was missing most of the time!"

"Harry, he wasn't the one who was looking for Horcruxes-"

"I'm not finished! We are utterly clueless on how the other would react, on how they would behave, especially when we messed up. So, we would do the first thing that popped in our head. Defend ourselves with the offensive."

"This is not Quidditch you know; you can go straight to the point."

"My point is, we will attack you, and it is nothing personal. It's in our nature to be defensive, and while I admit we have a stupid way of doing it, it always comes to the fact that we fucked up."

"Makes no sense."

"Trust me; men are a lot more complicating than girls if we want to. I mean, we surely do have more parts in our genitals than females do."

Despite being a crude joke, something that she's not fond of, she chuckled anyway. Harry smiled in triumph, happy that he could make her laugh, if only for a minute.

~.~

 **(ii)**

 _She looked for any survivors that hid in other parts of the castle instead of staying in the Great Hall, but in its place, she found a lost blond she hadn't seen for a while, who stood precariously by one of the railings of the Astronomy Tower. His back was to her person, and even when she couldn't see his face, she could tell he had cried by the way his shoulders seemed to shake._

" _Malfoy? What are you doing here?"_

" _I could've asked you the same."_

 _His voice was a shell of his used-to-be prideful one; it was replaced by an empty hollowness she thought she would never hear from him._

" _Are you trying to kill yourself?" It was only a half-joke in her case._

 _Draco looked down below and made a small wistful grunt. "That sounds tempting."_

" _Please, don't do it."_

" _Why not? The world would have one less Death Eater to tolerate."_

 _His voice was a lot more venomous, and even though she couldn't see it, she could tell he was sneering at nothing in particular. She sighed._

" _Because I'm tired. I'm tired seeing people die; I'm tired of not being able to help but most of all, I'm tired of this bloody war."_

 _His eyebrow quirked at her choice of words. "You swore."_

" _At this point, I don't care if I swear. I've done worse that would make me feel ashamed of myself."_

" _You're ashamed? At least your father is still alive. I couldn't do anything to save mine."_

 _She remembered the entire encounter. She was with Ron, trying to track down Nagini when she heard a shout. She turned around in time to see Lucius Malfoy, the same man who had scorned her in the bookstore in Diagon Alley a few years ago, glaring at a masked Death Eater with his wand in his hand. He was shielding something – or someone – and his stance was not short than being defensive._

" _You would not hurt my son."_

 _The Death Eater growled at him and sent out a nonverbal curse, which bright green light was highly recognisable. In his haste to defend himself, he casted a spell that caused the Death Eater to fly away backwards, but it was too late for him. The curse hit him on his chest, and he fell to the ground, landing on the feet of his son. It happened so fast, and the Death Eater had recovered, running away from the scene. She recalled how crestfallen Draco looked as he kneeled down to his father. As he clutched Lucius's body to his chest; wailing at his father's demise. How surprised she felt at how much he had cried. How astonished she was at Lucius's bravery to sacrifice his skin to save his son's._

 _His mother appeared out of nowhere, and she sat by Draco's side as she too cried on his shoulder. She truly felt sorry for them, despite the taunting and contempt she had endured in their hands. Hermione could have gone closer to them so she could tell them her condolences, but she was dragged away by Ron, who thankfully didn't see what happened. Only he could make things worse than it was._

" _You know it wasn't your fault. Your father-"_

" _Did everything he could to save me, yet I couldn't do the same. I could have pushed him away; I could have tackled that bastard who killed my father. I could've done anything!"_

 _Stone by his left foot was kicked in his anger. "But instead, I stood there. Like a coward."_

" _You can't beat yourself up because of this-"_

" _My_ _father died, because of me!"_

" _Well, tough luck! You're not the only who lost someone today. Fred is dead; do you think the Weasleys take this as an easy thing to convey?"_

 _Draco cocked his head slightly to the direction of her voice. "What do you want me to do? Do you expect me to forget about my father?"_

" _No. I'm not asking you to stop mourning. Nobody ever stopped doing so, no matter how hard they tried. I want you to stop accusing yourself of his death. You couldn't save him, you didn't have your wand, and you were wounded. Your father wouldn't blame you, and you know that; so why should you?"_

 _He rumbled low in his chest. "You're so confident in letting me know I'm not the one who's guilty. Why?"_

 _She was hesitant to say the next words, but they were the truth. She would never go astray from veracity. "No matter how much you think it was, none of this is your fault. Your father does what he did because he loves you. Not because he was forced to, but because he wanted to."_

 _Draco finally turned around after minutes of talking. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had been crying for hours, and a huge cut across his forehead had caused a single line of blood made its way down from his forehead. It was unfair to her even in his most uninviting state; he (begrudgingly, she had to admit) seemed as attractive as ever._

 _He approached her with a determined glint in his eyes, scaring her slightly. What was he going to do to her? Had her little speech spurred something inside of him; was he going to strike her? She didn't bring her wand, it was a stupid move of hers, considering what she had gone through. Every time he took a step, she took one back. They kept on going like this until her back hit the wall. He placed his hands on the either sides of her head; his face neared hers._

" _You're never the type to leave people alone, are you?" Draco asked._

 _Hermione shook her head. "Not if I could help it."_

 _Their lips met halfway. Her hands slipped themselves into his hair, tugging his face closer to hers. His hands dropped from the wall and placed them on her waist, pulling her nearer too. The kiss was clumsy for a while, teeth clinching with the other but slowly they get used to other's quirks. It was both awkward and comforting at the same time; like a mismatched combination of an equally incompatible couple. It was perfect, but there were no fireworks. No explosions. Just a heart-racing kiss; that made the both of them breathless as they parted._

" _What was that for?"_

" _I was thanking you for knocking some sense into me. An unconventional way to do so, but I'm nothing if not eccentric."_

 _That night, once they returned to the Great Hall; they shared a blanket. Ignoring everyone else, and the prickling sense in their back of their minds saying they shouldn't do it, Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione. Both of them found comfort in each other; where no one else could do it for them. It was abrupt and quick at the same time but all in all, it felt right._

~.~

"No... No... No..."

Audrey browsed through the book in her hands for something that can be used in her little scheme. The potions book was full of interesting types of concoctions, ranging from healing to love potions. She wasn't looking for any of those, though. She was looking for something that could fix the problem her cousin had arisen, but so far no books were competent enough to do so. Some of them were entirely useless, and while some of them were helpful, it wasn't exactly what she wants.

Her thoughts were cut off when a pair of hands slides themselves down her arms. She jolted with surprise but instantly calmed down when she realised that it was only her boyfriend.

"Hey."

"Hello." He gives her a kiss on her head.

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw you walking out of the Hall. So, I followed you here."

"Oh, so you're stalking me now?"

"Kind of."

She hummed in amusement.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Trying to fix my cousin's predicament."

He groaned. "Why can't you leave them be? If he does love her, he would've been on his knees by now."

"But you know how stubborn he can be. You know how stubborn _she_ can be. Do you expect them to be so pliant with their feelings?"

"Now that you mentioned it, no." Audrey made a sound of achievement. "But that doesn't mean we should meddle with their lives!"

"It's not meddling if you're trying to help."

"Right, forgot that you're American."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice had a dangerous glint to it.

"It means that you're too self-righteous for your good."

"Not all Americans are like that, you know."

He sighed. "I do. It's wrong for me to say that. I mean, not all Brits eat scones and have tea in a fancy lounge. Most of us favour our booze too much."

"Okay. We're going off topic. Stop distracting me!"

"Sorry." He looked at the cluttered table, books and parchment were strewed everywhere. He shook his head at the mess she made. "Maybe you should stop whatever it is you're doing and-"

"No! I won't sit here and do nothing! They are miserable without each other, why can't you see that? She's your best friend! Don't you want her to be happy?"

"Of course I do, but-"

"But what?"

"I think that maybe she's...better off without him?"

Audrey blinked at him. "Oh my god, she's right. Sensitivity is not exactly your forte is it?"

"Now, wait for a second-"

"No waiting. I am going to help them whether you like it or not. Besides, I'm just going to give them a boost. A little push! If anything, they're going to fix it themselves. I'm merely a-"

"-meddlesome busybody who doesn't know how to keep her nose out of something that isn't any of her business?"

A glare from her was his reply. "You know, if you don't want to help me, then you could fuck off. My time is already wasted talking with you."

He sighed, a sign of defeat. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope."

"Fine."

Audrey (thinking that he had given up and left her alone), glanced back at the book she was reading but was surprised when he dragged the chair next to her closer to his side. He sat on it and proceeded to reach out for a book at the nearest pile. She looked at him suspiciously, in which he shook his head.

"If you're going to do something stupid, the least you could do is to ask me along the ride."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You were trying to stop me five seconds ago. What changed your mind so fast?"

"You were right. I hate to see my best friend depressed and if getting her back together with the ferret would undo it; then I guess I should help you out."

Audrey blessed him with the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. It made his chest flutter with pride, knowing that this beautiful girl was his, and only his. He reached out for her hand and kissed it, smirking at her when she started blushing. It also made him felt smug, knowing that only he could affect her as much as she could to him.

Audrey stretched her neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "Yeah, yeah."

Anything for his girl.

~.~

"Are you ready for this?"

"Not really."

"You'll be fine." A kiss on his cheek seemed to lift his spirits slightly.

"What if I fucked it up?"

"Don't worry. You can do it."

"I hope this works. Because if it doesn't, you owe me; big time."

"Oh, chill. All you have to do is to play postman. You don't have to go to your cousin and give him a potion that might not work." The phial in her hand was shaken slightly to prove her point.

"What the bloody hell is a postman?"

"It's a muggle thing- man- never mind! Just wait for me until I get back, and then you can be on your way."

A strong push against him sent him tripping towards the doors of the Great Hall. She was a lot stronger than he thought.

He took a deep breath, and leant against the wall; wishing that he didn't sign up for this.


	2. part two

_"She started it! I was asking an entirely rational question, and she made it as if I was doing something wrong."_

 _"Hold on, let me stop you there. What did you ask Hermione exactly?"_

It was lunch, and while she knew most would be at the Great Hall, she doubted that he would be there along with the others. When she reached the Slytherin common room by the dungeons, she had walked in to find him in a state of mess. With the badge that officially appointed him as a Head Boy somewhat skewed on his left breast pocket, his shirt was in a state of mess. Splashes of brown (no doubt from the alcohol he held in his hand) stained his torso. His left sleeve was folded up to his elbow, while the right one remained by the wrist, making his appearance disordered to anyone's eyes. Even more so with the ugly stubble that was growing by his jaw.

"What are you doing?" she had asked. Audrey pressed her fists by her sides, all the while glaring at the blond in front of her.

"Drinking. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Audrey raised her eyebrows. "You do realise Firewhisky is illegal here, right?"

"So is spandex, but that never stopped people from wearing it."

"I don't remember that being in the dress code."

"That's because it isn't."

Audrey scowled. "You're drunk."

"Hammered, smashed, pissed, drunk; you name it, it's there."

Audrey snorted sarcastically. "So, is this how you're going to move on? Is this how you're going to fix this mess? Drinking 'till you're pissed out of your mind?"

"It numbs the pain." She couldn't stop the slight rush of tears that burned her eyes when she heard how miserable he was.

"It numbs the-? Dude, you have to be kidding me! Are you even listening to yourself? You sound pathetic!"

"Pathetic, huh? It's better than having to go through heartbreak." Draco's eyebrows knitted together in self-repulsion and shook his head. "Oh my god, you're right. I sound so cheesy I can almost smell it."

Audrey was only half-listening to him, opting to take a look at the state of her cousin.

Audrey whistled a low tone. "You cleaned up good."

"I don't appreciate irony at this point."

"What's the point of saying anything if you're just gonna be more offended?"

"If that's the case, maybe you should just shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone."

Audrey didn't even blink when she heard him swore at her. "Look, I think I can help-"

Draco's snapped his gaze to her with a glare full of contempt, and said, "Well, you can't. There's nothing you can do to change her mind."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

He had stood up and paced around, which didn't go far as he swayed at every turn. He stopped and sat down on a pointy edged settee. He grimaced in embarrassment, his face flushing to beet red. Draco Malfoy was never one to show weakness (or any other emotions really), but his closest friends and family knew, behind closed doors, he was a melodramatic actor at his finest. It highly amused Audrey for the fact that no matter how haughty and arrogant he appeared to be in public, he was just as annoying as any other teenaged boys.

He hesitated. "I asked Hermione about..." He whispered the rest of the sentence.

"What? All I could hear is-" Audrey proceeded to make swishing sounds, probably her attempt on imitating the wind on a stormy night. It was a total exaggeration in his opinion.

"I asked her..." Still, he mumbled the rest of the sentence as if he just found out what was it that he said had made things wrong.

"Dude, I wanna help, I do," Audrey took a breath, "but I don't think I can do that if you keep on talking like you're a vacuum cleaner."

He put on a confused pout, and if the situation wasn't pressing, she might have the time to think it was cute. "What the hell is a vacuum cleaner?"

"Right, forgot that you're a wizard. It's okay, I'll tell you later. I was exaggerating-" That was an understatement, "Now-"

"Humour me," he interrupted her.

"What?"

"Humour me. Tell me what a vacuum cleaner is."

"What? No! I-"

"Is it a sex toy?"

A picture of Draco with a vacuum cleaner crosses her mind. Oh God, she will never live that down.

"Fuck no! Vacuum cleaners are cleaning appliances! It's in the freaking name!"

"So you don't use it for sex?"

"No! God no! What makes you think that vacuum cleaners are for sex?"

"Well, you told me about dildos last week and-"

Audrey looked at him incredulously. "That doesn't mean vacuum cleaners are sex toys! Not all muggle things are sex toys, you know!"

"I'm sorry. It just got me thinking-"

"You're disgusting."

Draco wrinkled his nose. "You were the one who told me about them."

"Only because you asked."

"Touché."

Audrey shook her head in bewilderment. "You are a sick pervert."

After a moment of processing what she said, he shrugged. "I've been told worse."

Audrey snorted in annoyance. "You're not gonna tell me what happened, are you?"

"Nope."

Audrey closed her eyes, and counted to ten, in hopes that maybe her temper wouldn't lash out and break any of his bones. Instead, she moved from her position at the fireplace and perched herself on the armrest of the chair by the tenacious blond. Besides, it wasn't as if she wanted to poison him or anything; he wouldn't be any use for her if he were dead.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue phial. She hoped this would work.

"Here." She placed the flask into his hand. "Drink this."

He twirled it about in his hand, looking at it with suspicion. "What's this?"

"Something to sober you up; it might even help you with your little problem." It wasn't entirely a lie.

Without any more urging from her, or maybe he was too drunk to question her further; he uncorked the phial and tossed the contents into the back of his throat. He spluttered and coughed at the extremely bitter taste; a dark grimace stuck on his face.

"What the hell is this?"

She didn't answer but kept on staring at him, as if she was expecting something. Draco looked back into her eyes and gasped in confusion when he saw the anticipation in them.

"What did you do?"

She didn't get the chance to reply before he threw himself down onto the floor, screaming in pain and shock. Audrey braced herself against the armrest to prevent herself from reaching out. She had read the side effects in the book, and this would only be momentary. But what happened next, it was completely out of her comprehension.

His limbs slowly began to retract back into his body; as if he was shrinking. Hair started to grow thicker around his figure. His body arched forward; digging his shortening nails into the floor. His clothes were torn off by the sizeable thing that was growing by his backside; a flurry of black and white blurred her line of view. His sharp nose turned darker and shorter; his eyes became smaller and murkier, and his stubble turned long and bushy.

With a squeak of surprise, his transformation was complete.

He crawled from under the torn clothes and sniffed the air. With his little black nose in the air, twitching from left to right, she couldn't help but notice how adorable her cousin was in this state.

Audrey burst out laughing. "I always knew you're a stinky little fella!"

Even with his tiny eyes, she could see that he was glaring at her with contempt. He snarled, showing off his surprisingly sharp teeth, and launched towards her with his now-four legs.

 _"Immobolus!"_ She was faster, though. He stood frozen with his small furry body hunched over; his teeth still bared.

She felt for the little note on her robe pocket and pulled it out. Checking to see everything was in order, she decided to add a postscript after taking a glance at her furry little cousin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an abandoned quill and ink pot on one of the study desks. Quickly, she went and snatched the quill, scribble down a few words, and placed it back into the inkpot.

She took one more glance at her cousin, whose immobilisation wouldn't last long now. His open mouth let out a small trail of saliva trickling down his chin.

"I'm sorry, but you brought this on yourself. Don't worry, though; it will be all right."

And with those words, she took off towards the exit, leaving him alone with a pool of saliva forming by his feet. She knew that the spell would wear off soon, and for the sake of her skin; she should get out of there while she still could. She nodded at Pansy and her lackeys as she walked passed them, smiling when she was out of Audrey's sight; thinking about the endless possibilities on how she would react to see a rogue animal on the loose.

She smirked. Better get to the Great Hall before that happened then.

~.~

Everyone was eating lunch when the doors burst open.

Ronald Weasley, a third of the Golden Trio, one of the people that had helped Harry Potter to defeat the Bastard-That-Finally-Went-Down, had never looked more flustered than he was in the Battle right now. His arms flailed about, cold sweat dripping down from his forehead, and his face etched with urgency. Almost everyone stared at him with a mixture of confusion and worry, while the others opt to ignore him entirely.

Everyone fell silent when he screamed. "Hermione! Hermione!"

He started running again, but his feet accidentally stepped on his too-shabby robes. He landed on the Ravenclaw table with a grunt, pitchers of gravy and pumpkin juice spilt all over its bench and his hair. The nearest students squeal or shout in protest, hopping away from the drenched redhead.

The silence didn't last long. Everyone guffawed and pointed at the red-head, his face flushing darker than his hair, either from running too much or out of embarrassment.

"It's okay, Ron. I got it," Luna said, with her airy voice, brandishing her wand from the back of her ear. She flicked her wrist, and in an instant, the mess was gone.

He stood up and brushed himself off. He smiled at Luna gratefully and (ignoring the others) headed towards the Head Girl, whose mouth was twitching with amusement. Even when she was used to his incessant idiocy, this might be the best moment yet.

"What do you want Ron?"

"Didn't you hear me? I have something for you!"

"You didn't tell me that."

"Well, I have something for you. You see-"

"So, you chose to humiliate yourself by screaming into the Hall like a banshee?"

"Point taken. But 'Mione-"

"And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Sorry. But I have to-"

"You know, whatever it is that you're going to say won't make any sense anyway. It's not-"

" _I have something for you!"_

His sudden outburst took her aback. It had to be crucial for him to shout at her like that. "What is it?"

"Here." He thrust a piece of folded parchment to her line of view, shaking it slightly when she didn't make an attempt to take it from him.

"Where did you find this?" She asked.

"Somebody gave it to me. Said that it's important."

She pulled it out of his hand and tentatively unfolded the parchment. Her eyes grow bigger as she scanned the parchment; gasping when she reached the end.

It had only said:

 **Dear Hermione,**

 **Draco Malfoy had met with an unfortunate accident. Only you can turn him back into his normal state. You have until midnight to fix this. Good luck.**

 **P.S. You might need a spare change of clothes**

She didn't recognise the handwriting at all, and it was obviously wasn't signed. As if on cue, she heard a shriek from the entrance of the hall. Pansy Parkinson, who had come back to repeat her year just like everyone else, screamed frantically with disgust. Her shrill voice was enough to make Hermione's ears bleed.

A few other Slytherins were following her lead towards the Great Hall; squawking and squealing in the same time.

"Skunk! Skunk! There's a skunk in the dungeons!"

And Pansy promptly fainted to the ground.

It caused a bigger uproar to the students, not out of fear but the exact opposite. Everybody started laughing again at her expense, temporarily averting their attention from Ron. A person who fainted just because of a skunk? A notion that was ridiculous even for Pansy herself, but she wouldn't have time to rebuff herself if she was unconscious, would she?

For Hermione though, it wasn't funny.

Not the slightest bit.

It was evident the note didn't come to her at a random time; this was planned.

 _Out of all the things that he could be,_ she thought.

After making sure Madame Pomfrey had secured Pansy to be taken to the hospital wing, she made her way towards the exit, pushing through students with urgency, leaving some to curse or whine at her haste. She didn't care; she needed to get to the dungeons as soon as possible.

She failed to see a couple smiling at each other across the Hall; their plan is working.

~.~

"Where's Hermione going?" Harry looks up from his plate. Ron - who had sat down to enjoy his well-deserved lunch after the embarrassing debacle just now - shrugged.

"Don't know. Hermione ran outside as soon as she read the note I gave her."

"What note?"

"Couldn't read it. It was charmed so her hands would only open it. I wish I could, though; she turned pale when she finished reading that thing."

"She did?"

Harry only got a nod as a reply because Ron's mouth was too full. Well, at least he was brushing up his mannerism on the dining table.

Harry made up his mind. He pushed himself off the bench he was sitting on and crossed over it. He stood up and walked ahead, but not without tilting his head and said, "I'm going to check on her."

Ron nodded and resumed his route on being the world's most disgusting guzzler. Harry sauntered behind a few First Years, who were discussing the events prior, but not once had they mentioned Hermione. Maybe he was the only one who noticed her going out.

He made his way to the corridor that led to the moving staircases. He saw a flash of brown rounding around a corner, and there was no doubt that it was his best friend's bird's nest of a hair. He could vaguely hear footsteps trudging after him, but Harry didn't turn around to realise someone was following him until it was too late.

~.~

Hermione's wand was in her hands; her posture was ready for a fight. She was rarely in the dungeons (except heading for Potions Class, of course), and the place would always give her the shivers. It riled her to no end, for no matter how long she had known this place, she was still afraid of the dungeons and what might lie lurking about.

The war does that to you. Especially when the person started it in the first place happened to come from this very part of the castle.

She glanced left and right, making sure that she wasn't being followed. She didn't want to be hexing some random innocent student in her fright. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves; cursing her too self-righteous self and for not bringing a familiar with her.

Surely Crookshanks was a good company in these times, right?

Her train of thoughts was cut off when she heard something scurrying about in the shadows. Bloody dungeons were too dark, even if it was in the middle of the afternoon.

"Lumos," she whispered. The soft blue light illuminated the corridor she was in, but it wasn't enough to brighten the whole space (much to her dismay). Her shadow was the only thing she can see, but she had a feeling that that was beside the point.

Something was with her right now. Or rather _someone._

She turned around, hoping to see something out of convenience. Like a statue or a painting, and thankfully; all she could see was the wall. The noises were getting louder, though; as if they were heading towards her. Despite her better judgement, she trailed after the sound – the more she moved, the louder they got.

She almost got a heart attack when she saw them. In the darkness, where her light didn't reach, a pair of red _something_ gleamed. It was so faint that you could almost miss it, but with a squint of her eyes, she could see them clearly. They gazed at her with intent, not moving at all; and it was frightening the shit out of her.

So, she did something any rational witch would do if she were scared.

She sent off a hex.

It missed them by a couple of millimetres, and a yelp of fright was heard as they dashed away from her sight. She followed it, and with her wand in her quick hand, she pointed towards the direction she was heading. With the light igniting the way, she saw a flash of black and white rushing towards the nearest girls' bathroom.

 _Draco?_

Her feet follow its path, intending to investigate, but she couldn't go any further as she was pushed back by an invisible force.

"Oomph!" She grunted as her behind lands on the floor. A squeal of amusement echoed the walls.

"You have been strained, oh what a mighty fall. What seems to be your pain; makes me guffaw!" Another shriek of laughter.

Peeves.

"What do you want?" She glared at the ill-behaved poltergeist.

"Nothing of convenience, which you can obtain. For I am bored, so I'm laughing at your pain!"

She growled in frustration. "Stop rhyming! You're not even good at it."

"Says the girl who's still on the ground."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Your face doesn't make any sense."

"At least mine isn't purple."

Peeves dramatically stroked his chin with his hand as if he had a long beard to tend. "Touché."

"What do you want?" She tried asking again.

Peeves pouted. "I'm bored. There's nothing much to do in the dungeons."

"Then why can't you just go somewhere else?"

Peeves put on a naughty smile. "Why pull pranks on students out of significance, when I have the Head Girl right here?"

Hermione pursed her lips. She needed to think of something quick if she was going to get to the bathroom, and time was already wasted as it was. If the note was any clue, and Pansy's annoying screeching was any warning, the thing she saw earlier was Draco Malfoy as a skunk, and she had exactly nine hours and forty-two minutes to change him back.

Things were worse even before Peeves had decided to show up.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea crept in her mind. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Peeves' pointy ears perked up. "What secret?"

"Have you ever wondered what's the Bloody Baron's fear is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, everybody is afraid of something, but no one knows what _his_ fear is. I do, though-"

"What? Tell me! Tell me his secret!"

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes." Peeves' eyes are bulging with anticipation.

Hermione dramatically sighed, as if she was being coerced. "Well… he is claustrophobic."

"He's- what?"

"He is claustrophobic."

Peeves' forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means that he's afraid of Santa Clause."

Peeves gasped in delight. "He's afraid of Santa Clause?"

"Mhmm."

Peeves smiled with absolute joy. "This is perfect! It's perfect for me because I could finally get back at him after all these years of being scared of him. It's perfect for revenge!"

"Yes, it is." She resisted the urge to laugh.

"I'm going to scare him so hard, that he's going to wet his robes!"

Even when she knew that it was impossible, she nodded in encouragement anyway. "You go and do that."

Peeves winked at Hermione and floated away from her; muttering about scary ghosts and irrational fears. Hermione let out a chuckle at how surprisingly gullible he was, especially if it was for false information about the ghost of Slytherin. She brushed herself off the ground and continued towards the bathroom.

As she entered the bathroom, a stench of something she couldn't name assaulted her, but it was sure as hell wasn't something pleasant either. She glanced at the toilets and was taken aback by how disgusting most of them were. Was that a used tampon?

"Draco?"

There was no answer, but then again, what can a skunk do when a human was calling it? Blow a rape-whistle?

The thought made her silently scoff at herself.

An answering squeak reverberated through the disgusting room. She stood corrected.

"Where are you?"

A whimper told her where he was. She trailed after the pitiful sound, making sure she didn't step on something that might make her burn her shoes later. The room was dark (except the parts that are brightened by her wand), a few of its cubicles looked as if a herd of hippogriffs had a stampede before when she was here, and the stench was getting stronger by the minute. She feared that if she kept it up, she wouldn't be able to find any purpose of maintaining a nose anymore.

But she knew that she couldn't stop now because Draco needed her.

"You know, maybe it's time for you to come out? I'm sorry I sent a hex on you, I promise I won't do it again."

The sounds of tiny pitter-patter by the stall next to her caught her attention. She tilted her head sideways, and when she saw the little four-legged creature creeping out towards her, she gasped.

While most are black and white, this skunk was the exact opposite. Black fur lined its middle, stretched from the tip of its nose until the end of its tail. It had a small, black snout with long white whiskers on each side. Its paws were small and stubby, but she was confident that behind those soft little things hid sharp claws that could make her bleed if it wants to. Its eyes are the best part because unlike most skunks, instead of tiny little black dots that might inflict fear on others; its eyes are dark grey. Its eyes looked wiser than any other animals she had come upon; even Crookshanks was an unworthy opponent.

It was officially the most beautiful skunk she had ever seen.

She tilted her wand to his direction and placed a charm on his body. He looked at her questioningly, and so she answered, "It's a charm I found while I was away. It'll help prevent your smell from fusing into the air. It's a very handy spell, especially when you were stuck with two teenaged boys in a tent with no indoor plumbing."

He bobbed his head up and down. Well, at least he could understand what she was saying.

She knelt in front of the skunk and laid out a hand. It was staring at the latter with a distrustful tilt of its head, but after a few moments of deliberation, it climbed slowly onto her fingers. Once the little fellow fitted itself comfortably on her hand, she stood up, placed a comforting hand on its back, and headed towards the exit.

~.~

"Okay, let's see what we can do here. Just stay still, and I'll get you something to eat. You must be starving."

Hermione set down Draco on her bed and disappeared through the door. He didn't like being a skunk. Everybody was scared of him, but not in a way he would have liked. He usually revelled in the fear he could inflict on others, but today he felt less than inclined. Nobody wanted to be near a skunk. And nobody was stupid enough to be turned into one.

Apparently, he might be the biggest idiot if that statement rang any truth.

Besides, he stank. _A lot._

Hermione came back with a plate of roast beef sandwich and set it out in front of him. It smelled good, and forgetting the fact that he was brought up with etiquette; lounged hungrily for the snack. Being a skunk had its advantages too it seemed, as the apparently small sandwich for average sized humans was big enough for him to be full.

Hermione left him to enjoy his food; her thoughts are too occupied even to realise how similar he was to Ron when he's gobbling up the sandwich. She closed her eyes in trepidation. She was still reeling by their fight two weeks back, but even though she was adamant into ignoring him for the rest of his life, she knew that no matter how much Hermione tried, she will never live it down if she were to ever disappoint him just because of her pride.

His words were hurtful, but then again, if she thought back about what happened, she had no one but herself to blame.

~.~

 **(iii)**

 _He had headed on his way towards her room after a long day of Quidditch practice, hoping that he could take a shower and cuddle with his girlfriend._

 _Indeed, Draco Malfoy was a cuddler, but he would deny it if anyone asked._

 _Once he entered the room, however, he could feel that there was something wrong in the air. Hermione sat down on the edge of her bed, while she stared at the floor; fiddling with her wand._

" _What's wrong?" He had asked._

 _He wished he hadn't._

" _Who's Astoria Greengrass?"_

" _What?"_

" _Astoria Greengrass, who is she?"_

 _Draco blinked confusedly at her. "She's a Slytherin. About two years younger than us- Why are you asking me this?"_

 _Hermione finally looked up, and he was surprised to see them so swollen as if she had been crying for days. "You don't know, do you?"_

" _No, I don't."_

 _Hermione stood up, and that was when he realised that there was a piece of parchment in her hands. With a shaky hand, she gave it to him. "Your mother sent this."_

 _Draco retrieved it from her, and with a worried glance at her; he began to read it. His face was a blurry mixture of emotions, from confusion to anger, and from anger to understanding. He looked up from the letter to lock his eyes with hers, but she twisted away from his gaze; missing the pleading look that rushed across his face._

" _It's not true."_

" _Really? Then why didn't you tell me about this? Your so-called tradition into finding a bride and sold to be wed-"_

" _That's not what it is-"_

" _I can't see any other explanation, Draco. You're tied into a marriage contract, and there's no other way that I could perceive it."_

" _What are- No. I- I don't even know her!"_

" _Well, your mother must've known her very well if you were to get married to her."_

" _I can fix this-"_

" _How? Your mum doesn't even know I exist in your life!"_

 _And there they went again. They had always fought about the secrecy of their relationship, with Hermione choosing to reveal it to others, and Draco opposing to it. He didn't realise that it was hurting Hermione until now. He didn't even realise how serious the situation was until he received the offending letter._

 _He moved his feet forward until he was right in front of her. He grasped her face as gentle as he could; his presence was soothing against her body. "Listen to me, I'll think of another way to-"_

 _She shook her head from his hands and shouted, "There is no other way! You have to tell her about us!"_

" _You know we can't do that-"_

" _Why do we have to hide? Why can't we just go out in the open?"_

" _What?" He caught onto whatever it was she had said, but he wasn't prepared to answer it yet. He needed her to repeat the question, so he could avoid from responding for a short period._

 _Unfortunately for him, she knew what his attentions were. "You heard me. I'm not going to repeat the same questions again."_

 _Draco looked away from her eyes, hoping that by doing so, he wouldn't crumble under her stare. It was hard to ignore her, though, especially when someone as scrutinising as Hermione was gaping at him. He could feel her gaze, and while it was usually a good thing that he had her constant attention, it was unnecessarily an advantage now._

" _You know we can't do that-"_

" _Why not? Nobody is going to judge us. The war is over and-"_

 _He was hasty with his reply, even though he knew she would counteract in a millisecond, he said it anyway. "Do you think it's enough? Do you think people are going to accept us-?"_

" _-don't need people to accept us. All we need is each other-"_

" _Yes, but-"_

" _-been hiding for_ months _and look where it got us into!"_

" _-fix it if you would just listen to me-"_

" _You still haven't answered my question!"_

 _He dragged a hand across his face in weariness. "Look, your friends already know about us; I don't see the point-"_

" _The point_ is _I'm tired of hiding-"_

" _You're tired of everything, aren't you?"_

 _Hermione pulled back her head in disbelief. "Didn't you hear me? I was-"_

" _Why do you want to tell anyone? They're just going to make us look bad-"_

" _Since when do you care about what others think?"_

" _I just don't want to be seen with you!"_

 _The look on her face broke his heart. The fire she had in her eyes slowly diminished. Her eyes turned dull as sadness overtaken her, and he knew that he was sorely mistaken. He had pushed her over the edge, but Hermione didn't react in a way. She just stood there, staring at him with distrust, as if she was seeing him for the first time in her life._

" _I don't mean that, Hermione-"_

" _What do you mean; you don't want to be seen with me?"_

" _You know that's not what I meant-"_

" _What do you expect me to think? You just said that you don't wish to be seen with me!"_

 _He let out a frustrated growl and grabbed her shoulders. "Listen to me-!"_

" _Why should I? You haven't done the same thing for me!"_

" _Don't make me use my wand on you-"_

" _What are you going to do? Hex me into listening to you? I'm not scared of boneless little boys!"_

" _Listen here, you little mudblo-" He stopped, tightening his lips together with widening eyes. He realised what he had said would sound like in her point of view, and he tried to rectify himself. But even with his effort, he knew he had already committed a massive mistake. Her face managed to show a myriad number of emotions, shifting from anger, to hurt, to betrayal, to anger again in just a few seconds._

 _Pulling away from his hands, in a falsely calm matter, she said, "Get out."_

 _He flinched slightly at the monotonous tone her voice had picked up. "What?"_

" _I said, get out!"_

 _Hermione finally found the use of her wand and stunned him out of her room. By the time he could recover himself, she had already shut the door._

~.~


	3. part three

~.~

 **(iv)**

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _Telling your best friends about your secret relationship with their enemy was not supposed to be like this. They were intended to do it in an orderly fashioned way, complete with shielding spells to avoid hexes being thrown away. They were not supposed to tell them in a compromising situation, with her naked chest shielded behind his still-clothed back._

 _She knew, sneaking into one of the classrooms to have a quickie with her boyfriend would be a bad idea. Especially it was close to the Gryffindor's Common Room._

 _"It means that I am with Draco, whether you like it or not."_

 _"Hermione, he's a Death Eat-"_

 _"I'm not deaf, and I can assure you that I haven't been one since the war."_

 _"But, you're-"_

 _Harry, who had been observing them with an intent gaze, stopped Ron with a flick of his hand. Draco had shown a great amount of compassion and protectiveness towards Hermione, guarding her against them with determination yet carefulness when he helped her hide her modesty. He clutched her hand and stared at them defiantly, all the while sporting a supportive wall so Hermione could lean on. Even the blind could tell that Draco cared for her greatly._

 _"Ron, let's leave them alone."_

 _The latter glanced at him. "Why should we? We deserve some answers from-"_

 _"From what? Ron, as far as I'm concerned, Hermione can take care of herself. It's a no-brainer that she could be trusted."_

 _"I trust her; it's_ him _I don't trust."_

 _"Well, it's a good thing I don't give a shit then."_

 _Hermione pinched his shoulder for swearing, and even though Harry saw how hard Draco tried not to; he flinched slightly at the pain._

 _"If Hermione trusts him, then I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt."_

 _"But-"_

 _Hermione's glare stopped him this time. "No buts. I can take care of myself, and you don't have to act as if I'm a four-year-old that you can baby on. I'm nineteen, and if you haven't noticed, I_ am _the brightest witch of my age."_

 _Hermione's declaration took them slightly by surprise; it was evident on how Draco had influenced her on how arrogant she sounded a few seconds ago. Not to mention, with a little bit more confidence too._

 _Maybe dating the ferret couldn't be all too bad._

 _"C'mon. Let's go."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Nothing. We are going to leave them alone, let them finish-" Harry glanced at them, appalled "-whatever this is, and we'll talk about it. Later."_

 _Harry gripped Ron's shirt and dragged them away, locking the door as they crossed out the room. The awkward tension created an uncomfortable silence between them, but it was broken when Draco started laughing._

 _Hermione pulled away from him and walked in front of him. Frowning, she said, "Why are you laughing?"_

 _"Did you see the look on his face? Bloody idiot looked like he was about to burst."_

 _"I hardly find that amusing."_

 _"Of course you don't. You spent so much time with him that you're immune to his stupidity. But I, however, am not used to it, so please let me humour myself for once in a while, woman."_

 _Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yeah. We have to make ourselves look presentable. They're probably waiting for us outside."_

 _Hermione was about to pick up her discarded bra on the floor, but she was pushed against the wall before she could do anything further. He attacked her with a hungry kiss, and while she tried to stop him at first, the movement of his lips against hers persuaded her otherwise. With a moan, she wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his hair by the nape of his neck. He groaned at her touch, and clutched her hips nearer to his, creating a friction that was all too familiar._

 _Something knocked her into her senses_ _because she pulled away from him when he tried to cup her breast. "We shouldn't be doing this now."_

 _In his rarest moments of playfulness, he pouted. "Why?"_

 _"Because my best friends are waiting for us behind those doors, and if you don't stop now, we won't be able to later on."_

 _"Exactly my point. Who wants to stop, when you have a perfectly good reason not to?"_

 _"Draco."_

 _Her warning tone made him sigh. "Fine, we'll stop; but it doesn't mean we're finished here."_

 _She answered him with a small smirk, the one that would make him fall onto his knees if she wanted to. She leant forward and rubbed the front of his trousers, saying:_

 _"Oh, darling. We are far from over yet."_

 _She withdrew her hand and glided to his side to retrieve her bra off the floor. He gulped and twisted around to help her get dressed, all the while sporting a raging hard-on in his pants._

 _He had never hated the demented duo more before this moment._

~.~

"Alright." She huffed as she landed the books in her hands on the coffee table by the fireplace in their common room. "I think these should be enough, shouldn't it?"

She could've sworn that Draco rolled his eyes at her.

She came back from the library, and after spending three hours in there, she had finally found a couple of books (which, in Draco's definition, were at least twenty) that might be able to help them. She had attracted many curious glances from her peers, especially from the librarian herself. With a firm nod, and showing off her badge saying that it was an official Head Girl's duty; she checked out the books without any more difficulty.

The first book was about reversal spells, and page after page, she read through them, hoping to find the answer to their problem. Once, she saw a spell on how to reverse the effects of Animagi, but once she was sure that Draco wasn't an unregistered Animagus, she moved on to the next page. She also saw another spell that could inverse the effects of a Changing Spell, but with a wave of her wand – and a head-shake from Draco – she confirmed that he was under the influence of a potion. Since another potion could only reverse most potions effects; she had stopped her search on the book.

This was why she moved on to the next one, a book about antidotes for common potion mistakes. Even though what happened to Draco was far from it being a mistake, she rifled through the book anyway. She almost hit the jackpot when she saw a potion to change the effects of a transfiguration potion, but it would take her four days to brew it. And she only had four hours to mend this mess.

His proximity had caused a stab in her heart, as every time he brushed her against his tail or any other parts of his furry little body; it would remind her about their fight. She kept on telling herself that after this was all over, they would go on with their separate ways. He would marry that Greengrass girl, and she would stay in her room, eating ice cream and watch sad films in her pyjamas.

She sounded pitiful, even to her.

As tempting as it sounded for her to leave him like this so that he would forever be with her, she knew that she wouldn't let herself do something so cruel.

Almost three hours later, she cried in defeat. "Why can't I find anything?"

Draco was woken up roughly by her shouting. When it was clear that he was of no help whatsoever, Hermione persuaded him into sleeping, and he was more than happy to incline. He was already so tired; running around the dungeons with four stubby paws weren't as easy as any other animals perceive it to be.

"I mean, there's got to be something that I'm missing here!"

Draco crawled his way to her side, shifting his snout closer to the page she was reading. It was an entry for a potion to cure excessive diarrhoea, so he glanced at her questioningly.

"I got desperate."

Recurring squeaks was heard from him, and even trolls would know that he was laughing. She glowered defiantly and crossed her arms on her chest.

"I like to see you try."

He stopped abruptly and looked at her with a twitch of his whiskers.

"Can't really do that, can you?"

He lifted his tail in a snobbish manner, an act that made Hermione smile. He glanced at her smile; licking his own lips. When he snapped his gaze to her, she was surprised to see the longing in his eyes. She was also sure that her eyes reflect the same thing too.

They were interrupted by the undesirable chime of the grandfather clock in the common room, marking its eleventh hour. Hermione gasped at the offending timepiece, and started to frantically flip through the pages of the book.

"I only have an hour left. And if I can't find the solution for this mess, than you're going to be stuck like this forever!"

Draco just stared, but she wasn't expecting him to reply. She tried to return to her books with a sudden vibe of urgency, but Draco caught her hand with his tail, preventing it from moving any further.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

With a subtle shake of his head, Hermione's eyes broaden.

"Are you saying that I should just give up?"

He nodded. She did the opposite.

"I'm not going to give up on you!"

She seized her hand from his grasp and (ignoring the horrible stench that came from a skunk) she ran towards the nearest book by the opposite side of the table. He stared ahead, marvelling at her persistence. Even when he was a complete bastard to her, she still wanted to change him back. At first he was puzzled as to why she was so determined, thinking that her bleeding heart had taken over her at the time. But when he saw the unhappy expression that took over her face at the possibility of losing him to a state like this, he had finally understood the reason behind her perseverance.

She still loved him.

It made him feel more like a dick than he already was.

The grandfather clock chimed again, letting them know that there was only ten minutes left.

"Shit!"

Draco glanced at her sadly, and used his tail again to stop her once more. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, as if she was in a lot of pain. Her shoulders shook and she whimpered loudly. It only dawned on him that she was crying.

"I'm sorry. You must be so disappointed in me."

Draco shifted his paw after the other, pointing his snout on her hand. She got the hint, lifting it and as fast as he could, he wormed his way under hand. He raised his head at her, showing his pleading eyes, hoping that she would understand what he was trying to convey.

 _It's okay to fail sometimes._

 _You did your best._

And for some reason, she did.

"I feel like I've failed you."

 _I failed_ you.

"You don't deserve to live like this."

 _I don't deserve you even more._

Then the grandfather clock chimed, a full minute was left before it stricken midnight. Hermione pulled her hand away from Draco, and smiled through her tears.

"For all its worth, I just want you to know that I forgive you."

With a sad glance at him, she paced slowly towards her room, allowing the sobs to finally break out. A loud squeak of pain was heard across the room, but in her fragile state, she didn't have the will to look back.

~.~

With her eyes closed, Hermione clutched her pillow, the one that was charmed so it could retain Draco's scent. The smell of his cologne wafted through her nose, and she realised that she will never have the real thing ever again.

She had failed him.

She was supposed to help him, but she let him down. He might be roaming around the castle right now, trying to get used to the fact that he was a skunk forever. In any times, the situation would be funny, but for the fact that she was the one who was supposed to help him, but didn't; it just made the situation a lot worse.

Hermione Granger was not known to fail.

A few tears ran down her cheek as she mourned the loss of her love; even if he was not dead, it would never be the same again.

That was until she opened her eyes.

A gentle hand reached out for her cheek and brushed her tears away, drawing a gasp from her. She cupped the hand on her cheek, and looked at the owner in disbelief.

"Draco?"

He didn't say anything, instead climbed onto the bed; making himself comfortable on top of her. Only then, she realised he was naked. She drew a deep breath as he leaned down to capture her mouth. Not being able to resist him since the first time, she wielded willingly. His soft tongue brushed against her lips, asking for entrance. She granted it with a swipe from her own tongue, and soon their kisses escalated. He pulled back to allow them to breathe, and reached for the hem of her nightgown.

"Draco," she whispered. He still hadn't said anything, too mesmerised by her.

Sometimes, he still couldn't comprehend how lucky he was.

Right before anything else happened, he pulled back from her lips and looked at her in the eyes.

"I love you."

She didn't have the chance to reply because a loud keen escaped her mouth as she felt his finger sliding up her thighs. It wasn't until they reached the end did she realised that it was half past midnight.

~.~

On their afterglow, with his arms around her, she sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Hermione's lips quirked up in befuddlement. "How did you-? I mean, I couldn't find anything to save you, and yet here you are."

He smiled. "I knew I had forgotten something."

He ran out of her bedroom, only to be back with a pair of boxers (much to her dismay) and a parchment in his hand. He flicked between his fingers as he scrambled on the bed, looking at it with curiosity.

"Didn't think she would give me this. After all the shit I've been through, I didn't expect her to give me a letter out of all things."

Hermione took the letter and read it out loud:

 **Congratulations, you made it!**

 **Draco can tell you who turned him into a skunk now. I am so glad you guys finally get your shit together. Two weeks of wallowing in self-pity are never attractive, and I knew I had to do something about it.**

 **The potion's effects would wear off once their true love forgives the drinker for their mistakes. Who knew the wizard folk in the 16** **th** **Century would be so tacky, huh?**

 **If I see, hear or even smell something's wrong between you two, I will see to it that you would end up like Nearly Headless Nick.**

 **For lack of better threats.**

 **Well, maybe not; but it will still be bad.**

 **In other news, Happy Valentine's Day! See you later at the ball!**

 **By the way, I have something to say to the both of you, but I think I'll do it face to face.**

 ** _Audrey Winslow_**

"Your cousin-?"

"Yes, it was her."

"She turned you into a skunk just so we could give each other another chance?"

"I believe so."

"That's a very strange way to do so."

"Well, she's a Slytherin. You can't blame her for using underhanded tactics to get what she wants."

Hermione raised an amused eyebrow at him. "You're very proud of her, aren't you?" Hermione smirked.

"Very." He said it with such a grave voice, that it made her giggle. He joined in her laugh; it was contagious, but soon recovered once he recalled what he was going to say before he saw the frown on her face a few minutes prior.

"Hermione."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Her body tensed at his apology and she twisted around to stare at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm sorry. During these two weeks, I did a lot of thinking."

"Did you?" Hermione teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Shush, woman! I'm trying to be romantic here." Hermione giggled; she had never laughed so much in days.

"Well, as I was saying, before you rudely interrupted." Draco playfully pinched her. "I realised what I've done to you, holding you back from everything; it's the most fucked up thing I've done. And because of that, I've almost lost the most important person in my life."

 _Almost_. How happy she was to prevent it from being permanent.

"The truth is, I'm scared. I'm scared that once everybody found out about us, people would try to steal you away, or ask you to change your mind. And while I know you're not as naive as people ought to think, there was a moment of fear that I had in me, and I hate it. I hate it mostly because I love you too much to lose you. I've lost my father, and I almost lost my mum too; I don't want to lose you too."

Hermione sniffed, feeling overwhelmed by his heartfelt confession.

"And calling you a mudblood was one of the biggest mistakes I would ever do. You're definitely not inferior to me, you've already proven your worth to anyone and everyone! I'm sorry for even thinking about that word."

Hermione placed her finger on his lips. "That was mostly my fault. I pushed you, when I knew I shouldn't have."

"I don't blame you, though."

"I still feel bad."

"I guess we're even then."

Hermione quirked up her lips in amusement and bent forward to capture his lips in a kiss. Once they pulled apart, he grimaced.

"Don't be mad."

"What?"

"Is it wrong for me to tell you that I've already told my mum about us?"

"You did, what?"

"I already told you. These two weeks got me thinking, and when I've done that, I realised that I want what you want too. For us to be together out in public. Having the thought of letting everyone know that you're mine is a good thing, I can have the permission to beat the shit out of anyone if they dare to look at you in a different way."

That earned him an indignant slap on his chest.

"But the best part is, I get to show the world that I've changed for the better, because I got the kindest, sweetest, and not to mention the most beautiful girl by my side."

He took her hand and traced his thumb over her fourth finger, his face in a daze. Maybe, it was too early for _that_ proposal, but he surely could ask her this instead:

"So, Hermione Granger, would you do me the honours of being with me during Valentine's Ball? Would you do the honours of walking by my side, always?"

With tearful eyes, happy ones thankfully, she said, "I would be honoured."

~.~

When she came down from her room the next day, he could almost swear that he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his entire life. She was wearing an emerald green halter dress with silver strapping by her neck. The neckline wasn't too low, but it was enough to show off a little cleavage. She had her hair up into a French plait and had a tiny amount of makeup on.

Besides, she was wearing his house colours. If they didn't have to attend the stupid ball, she would've been on the couch naked by now.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall, they took a deep breath. With her hand on his arm by the crook of his elbow, they walked in with a slight nervous skip in their feet.

Everybody fell silent; staring at them with shock in their faces. But as soon as it started, most of them had shrugged and returned to their conversations respectively. Draco and Hermione glanced at each other, grateful that they had taken it so well.

No wands were drawn. Thank God.

Guess the war did change everyone.

They were heading towards the tables to get something to eat, but something by the corner if their eyes caught their attention. They gaped at the smirking couple, not much different from the others a few minutes back, and suddenly it all clicked.

"So, it was the two of you that set us up?" Hermione asked.

"Yep." Ron leered.

"And why did you change me into a skunk out of all the bloody animals in the world?" Draco scowled at the pair while their cheeky smiles grow bigger.

"Well, you see, the potion works by revealing the drinker of their true nature or personality into the form of an animal that resembles it. And I don't know about you, but it totally works."

"Well, at least it's not a ferret," Ron said as he smirked at Draco with glee. He shuddered at the memory of turning into one, particularly in the part where he was forced to be shoved into Goyle's trousers. And only God knew how many times he washed those.

"Shut up."

"One would think being stuck with the brightest witch of her age would make you think of better replies other than 'Shut Up'."

Hermione looked up at Draco, who was still glaring with playful malice at Audrey and placed a small kiss on his jaw. He snapped his attention to Hermione and smiled at her with subtle affection. He leant down to place a kiss on her forehead but stopped when he saw the identical grins of the couple in front of him.

"What?"

Audrey shrugged. "Oh, nothing."

He looked at Ron. "So, you're the mysterious boyfriend, huh?"

"Didn't see that one coming; did ya?"

Draco frowned at him. "Not to say I have, no."

"Why? The Prince of Slytherin couldn't handle a little of manipulation from others?"

"No. It's because I didn't know Audrey has such low standards."

Even Hermione, who was usually quick when it came to defending her friends, laughed at Draco's snide comment. Audrey made a small noise of amusement at Ron, whose face was redder than the ripest tomatoes.

To save him out of his misery, and to boost his ego slightly; she said, "No, it's because he knows how to use his tongue."

Draco and Hermione curtly stopped laughing at her remark.

"Don't ever say that again."

"Ahah! Now you know what I feel when you told me you thought vacuum cleaners are sex toys!"

"You did that?" Hermione's eyes sparkled with enjoyment.

"It's not my fault I'm a wizard! We have magic for a reason, you know! Besides, if you haven't told me about dildos, I wouldn't even know what sex toys are!"

"You told him about dildos? Why?"

Audrey lifts a shoulder. "He asked."

"I don't think I'll trust you alone with him any longer."

Audrey had no reply; she just put on a mischievous smile.

Draco's face turned serious when he regarded Ron; his attentions were clear. "If you ever hurt her-"

Ron put up a hand between them, promptly making Draco close his mouth in shock. Not once had the Weasel's been brave enough to do so, but he was courting his cousin, so maybe he did have some balls in him.

"Let's just make a deal. I'll take care of her," Ron's hand squeezed slightly on Audrey's waist, "if you'll take care of Hermione for me."

Without missing a beat, Draco held out his hand.

"Deal."

Ron shook his hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"I hope this is the first and the last one. I don't think I'm capable of compromising with you anymore."

Everybody laughed; Ron decided to just smile in elusive amusement.

"Something's got me thinking," Ron said suddenly.

"Oh, that's dangerous," Draco muttered.

"What?" Audrey prompted him as she ignored Draco's jibe.

"What _is_ a vacuum cleaner-?"

"Oh, don't get me started."

~.~

The ball was in full swing, and everybody danced along with the music. Most of them had smiled and waved in respect at their choices. While others seemed to glance at them now and then, sending heated glares and poorly hidden jibes; Draco and Hermione ignored them with a proud raise of their heads. Pansy was glaring, Neville was gaping, and they could see that Seamus had proudly retrieved ten Galleons from Dean.

The latter had raised a few eyebrows from them.

They were laughing at something Draco had said, but they were interrupted when someone tapped Ron on his shoulder, averting his attention from them.

"I don't mean to disturb you and all, congratulations to you two, by the way-" Ginny smiled at Draco and Hermione, "-but have you seen Harry?"

Hermione frowned. "Wait, you weren't with him this whole time?"

"We planned to meet here by the entrance before the ball starts, but I've been waiting for an hour now, and he is still not here."

Unexpectedly, Ron tensed his shoulders. He dropped his punch glass, spilling it all over the floor.

"Shit."

"What do you mean, 'shit'?" Ginny glared at him.

Ron sputtered and hesitated, looking everywhere but her.

"Ronald Weasley, what did you do this time?"

His fearful stare stunned Ginny.

"I totally forgot!"

He sprinted off to the exit, leaving them confused.

"What did you do!"

And with that, she followed after him; holding her wand by her side.

"I wonder what that's all about," Draco murmured.

"I have no idea," Audrey muttered.

~.~

By the third floor, near the corridor which held the Room of Requirement, a door to an abandoned closet was shaken and pounded on. Angry shouts were heard from the other side, though there was no one there to hear him.

"This is not funny anymore!" Harry hit the door with his fists.

"Someone, get me the fuck out of here!"

 **FIN**

 **A/N:** That ends this little ficlet. Please leave a review; I love to hear your thoughts. And I worked quite hard on this one; I should be able to ask something in return, something as simple as a review, right? Anyway; hope you enjoyed reading this, as much as I had enjoyed writing this silly fic. :)


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